[Drama Recap] Love Rain Episode 2

Here we recap and discuss episode 2 of Love Rain. Caution, spoilers below. Don’t read if you don’t want to know what happens.

In our opening scene for episode 2, the school is holding a festival. The 3 C’est La Vie are performing together in an outdoor auditorium while the girls are watching. Hye Jung mentions to Yoon Hee that In Ha plays well. In Sook says she always only pays attention to him, which she denies.

After the trio performs, they meet up with the girls and walk around to enjoy the festival. They stop by a booth in which you’re able to throw water balloons at a person, and so Chang Mo is mercilessly pelted by the others. Next we see Dong Wook performing martial arts and breaking boards in a transparent attempt to impress Yoon Hee.

Afterwards, Dong Wook mentions he’s thirsty and so he, Chang Mo, and In Sook break off to buy drinks. Hye Jung then spots a shooting game where the barker advertises that you just write down the name of the person you like in the journal and if you hit the target your love will come true with them. As a bonus, you get a stuffed animal as well. Hye Jung gets In Ha to play for her, saying that she just wants the stuffed animal, while Yoon Hee just stands moping on the side. In Ha misses the first shot, but hits the second one straight on. The barker then mentions that Yoon Hee should try, to which Hye Jung agrees. In Ha is tense now that it’s Yoon Hee’s heart on the line and misses his first two shots badly. The others come back at this point and Dong Wook tries to take the last shot for him, but In Ha insists. He gets serious and nails the last shot before walking away. Chang Mo then comments that he must really like “her”, which piques Dong Wook’s curiosity.

Later that night, they’re drinking what looks like makgoli, or rice wine, but Yoon Hee doesn’t drink her portion so Dong Wook downs it for her. The five of them, minus In Sook for some reason, then start to play their version of truth or dare. In Ha loses and so Hye Jung asks him whether he’s still holding onto his determination to only paint the girl he loves, to which In Ha says yes. Dong Wook loses next and is asked how Yoon Hee is different from the other girls he’s dated. He says that he’s serious about her, but none of them believe him. Hye Jung is still trying her best to push Yoon Hee and Dong Wook together and says he must be serious if he said his line from their blind date in the previous episode. Dong Wook then admits that he stole the line from In Ha, which confuses Hye Jung because Yoon Hee told her that that line was one of the reasons that she might like Dong Wook. If it was In Ha’s line all along, then by definition that means that Yoon Hee actually likes In Ha. Before it gets even more awkward, they are saved by the fireworks going off in the night’s sky.

Can’t have a festival without a dance. Hye Jung asks In Ha to pair up with her, to which he agrees. Before he goes though, Dong Wook stops him and tells him he intends to ask out Yoon Hee tonight. He wants his best buddy to cheer him on, but In Ha is too shocked to do so and can only nod his head in acknowledgement. As they all hit the dance floor, In Ha seems to be enjoying himself with Hye Jung, but he can’t help but look over at Yoon Hee.

It’s a circle dance of sorts and so everyone’s partners are constantly switching. When it’s In Ha and Yoon Hee’s turn, they’re awkward with each other and at one point In Ha stops dancing to grab her hand. Yoon Hee seems to have hope in her eyes that he’ll actually make a move, but In Ha chickens out and says nothing.

After the dance, they’re regrouping when someone accidentally knocks over one of the props and it’s falling straight at Yoon Hee. Dong Wook moves to protect her, but In Ha gets there first and blocks it with his own body. The injury is apparently pretty bad and next we see them waiting in a hallway for news of In Ha. Hye Jung and Chang Mo get frustrated waiting and go get some air, but Yoon Hee just waits patiently. Seconds after they leave, medical student Dong Wook comes out and says they’re done patching up his friend and that they can see him. He then lets the two of them be alone while he goes in search of the others.

In Ha’s injury doesn’t look that bad at all and we just see he has an arm in a cast. He tells Yoon Hee he’ll be fine and jokingly asks if she wants to draw on it. She apologizes for him getting hurt and says she thought something bad happened to him. Yoon Hee then starts getting teary-eyed as she reveals that her parents died protecting her so it’s giving her some bad memories. They are then interrupted by Dong Wook’s arrival with Chang Mo, but Hye Jung is nowhere to be found.

Back in their dorm room, Chang Mo helps In Ha take off his coat and asks him if there’s anything In Ha wants to tell him, roommate to roommate. He keeps pushing to see if he’s having any girl problems and is startled when Dong Wook suddenly appears. Seems he just walked Yoon Hee back home and decided to stop by to check on In Ha.

The next day, we see Yoon Hee smiling and packing up a lunch box of kimbap for In Ha, who we see is hard at work drying to draw with his injured hand. He eventually gives up and walks out to bump into, surprise surprise, Yoon Hee.

Meanwhile, Chang Mo is performing again at the cafe. In Sook has apparently gotten over her initial aversion of her and tries to get his attention. When his performance ends, he goes to the table where In Sook and Hye Jung are sitting and the latter asks him about In Ha’s condition. He tells her that it’s still hard for him and that he had to help him get dressed. He then notices that In Sook is stacking matchsticks and asks her about it. She says that if a person makes a 100 matchstick tower then their wish comes true. Chang Mo gets worried and asks if it’s a wish regarding him, to which she replies that it’s to wish them happiness together. He quickly then grabs a match from the bottom, causing it to collapse of course, and prompts In Sook to rush out in tears. Hye Jung also gets mad at him too.

We then cut back to our forlorn lovers, who are now sitting on a bench. Yoon Hee says she thought it would be hard for him to eat so she made this especially for him. In Ha ignores her hint yet again and says he has to go somewhere now. She’s seems a tad hurt by his rejection, but wishes him well as she walks away. In Ha immediately regrets his decision and decides to ask her if she has time to help him.

In Ha has apparently decided to bring her to the music store to pick up his new guitar. The music store owner asks him why he decided to bring his girlfriend along, but In Ha quickly says that she’s just a friend. Yoon Hee is just idly staring at the instruments when In Ha asks her to come over and help him remove the guitar from its case. He tells her that he wants to hear the guitar since they all sound different, but of course Yoon Hee doesn’t know how to play. Never fear though as he’ll use his left hand to play the cords so all she has to do is strum for him. Nice line, In Ha, way to finally at least make a semblance of a move on her. The two then start singing a little duet together.

Afterwards, In Ha decides to ask Yoon Hee about her parents. He tells her that her father was a grammar school teacher and that the first thing her mother would do every morning was spin the spring on the spring watch that her father gave her. Yoon Hee then mentions that she used to have her mother’s watch, but she has a habit of losing things, like her diary which I actually forgot about. In Ha looks guilty as she then tells him what he already knew: that her parents really liked the movie “Love Story” and that’s why she wanted to watch it when it came back to theatres. Since they didn’t make their previous date, In Ha then suggests that they go see the movie now. Unfortunately, to their disappointment, the one in town isn’t playing it anymore. In Ha then asks her if she’ll go with him to see it if he finds a theatre that still plays it, to which she smiles and nods in agreement.

Back at the cafe, Dong Wook just finished his DJ shift and is dragged off by his boss. Hye Jung sees Chang Mo building a matchstick tower and asks him what his wish is. He jokes around with her, but says nothing. Dong Wook then comes to tell them some exciting news: that his radio show date has been set. His friends are happy for him and he asks them if they know where In Ha is so he can tell him the good news as well.

Meanwhile, In Ha has decided to bring Yoon Hee to the art room. She insists that he eat the kimbap that she prepared for him, and he says that they should eat it together. Yoon Hee then sees a rough sketch of a female face, which In Ha hides and says that it’s Hye Jung. He tells her that he’s doing it because she’s been bugging him so much. Thinking back to his resolution about painting portraits, Yoon Hee is disappointed and quickly excuses herself so as to not get in his way. In Ha stops her though, and insists that they eat together. He then goes out fill a kettle of water.

While In Ha is outside, Yoon Hee decides to look around and finds In Ha’s open locker. At that moment, In Ha realizes he dug his own grave again and immediately runs back in the room to stop her. Too late, though, as Yoon Hee quickly finds the portraits of her. When In Ha gets there, he finds her picking up the paintings that she had dropped. Yoon Hee is too embarrassed to say anything and just runs away.

In Ha manages to catch up to her and drags her to the side, saying he has something to tell her. Yoon Hee expectantly awaits his answer, hoping she can finally stop dropping all these hints for him. Unfortunately, they hear their friends coming and he quickly stops. Yoon Hee gives him the little half smile that she’s so fond of and says she’ll hear his confession later, but In Ha decides to continue. He tells her that the paintings mean nothing and that she just happened to be in the scenery that he was painting that day. Yoon Hee is surprised and presses him to make sure that that was what he really wanted to say. He says that it is and that his hand is feeling better so she doesn’t have to make him lunch. In Ha doesn’t want their friends to misunderstand either, especially his best friend Dong Wook. Yoon Hee is hurt by this and says she understands before quickly walking away. As he watches her walk away, In Ha immediately regrets what he said.

Meanwhile, Chang Mo happens to be the first one in the art room and sees In Ha’s paintings on the ground. He panics and immediately forces Dong Wook and Hye Jung out before they can see them. They’re curious as to why he won’t let them see the paintings on the ground and he’s forced to lie and say it was his nude portrait. That makes them want to see it even more, but he eventually convinces them to leave. As Dong Wook walks past the window, he happens to see Yoon Hee walking and runs after her.

Since Dong Wook ditched them, Chang Mo and Hye Jung decide to go hang out by themselves. Chang Mo in particular seems intent on drinking himself silly. Hye Jung asks him what’s wrong and Chang Mo decides to tell her about Dong Wook and In Ha’s situation, but in the form of a math problem. Hye Jung is confused and stands up to leave, but Chang Mo stops her saying that if she leaves who’s going to pay? She tells him to call In Sook and to stop being to mean to her since she likes him so much. Chang Mo says he doesn’t actually hate her, but is jealous that she has the courage to bluntly say she likes someone. He then rambles on about not being able to confess for various reasons, which Hye Jung calls cheap. She says if she liked someone she would say it no matter what. This prompts Chang Mo to say that he’s always liked her from the beginning. She thinks he’s joking, but he’s actually serious and says he could never say anything because he knew Hye Jung liked someone else.

At the same time, Dong Wook is channeling his inner stalker tendencies and follows Yoon Hee onto her bus. She gets tired of him though and turns and says she has to go to work alone. Dong Wook notices she’s angry though and turns on his charm. Finally, we actually see Yoon Hee angry and she tells him that she really wants him to stop. She then tells him to stop liking her since he knows nothing about her and walks off. Dong Wook then admits that he likes her because she reminds him of his mother who passed away when he was little. Really guy? Playing the dead mother card in this situation is pretty low, even if I guess it actually did come from the heart. She tells him that she also lost her parents and it suddenly starts raining. As they’re taking shelter, Dong Wook takes this opportunity to ask her out.

We then cut back to In Ha who is staring at his portraits of Yoon Hee. We hear his voice narrating how it only took three seconds to fall in love, but it’s impossible to fall out of love in three seconds. As the voice-over continues, he mentions that someone was a coward and we see him running through the rain. He says someone was honest, and we cut to Chang Mo walking. He finally says that someone’s heart fluttered and it cuts to Dong Wook and Yoon Hee. We then see In Ha ran to Yoon Hee’s house, but as soon as he gets there, he sees her and Dong Wook laughing together and loses whatever nerve he had in the first place.

Seems like the radio show that Dong Wook was talking about before was a competition of sorts and we see the three boys getting on a train. Dong Wook says they should wait for the girls though, but Chang Mo is insistent in trying to get away from Hye Jung. His friends though think that he’s trying to get away from In Sook and so In Ha offers to sit next to her instead so he can sit next to Hye Jung. Of course, since this was the opposite of what he wanted, he starts listing off Hye Jung’s faults and says that In Sook is much better than her. The girls just happen to be walking up at this point and overhear him. In Sook is happy and takes this as a confession. Hye Jung then asks where Yoon Hee is and Dong Wook says that she might not come because he told her that if she comes today he’ll take it as her wanting to go out with him.

As Chang Mo boards the train, he sees Hye Jung and In Sook sitting on opposite seats looking at him. He’s conflicted but eventually sits down next to In Sook, who says he shouldn’t be so straightforward in front of Hye Jung or she might get upset. Hye Jung, knowing Chang Mo’s true feelings, silently scoffs at In Sook and wonders if Yoon Hee will actually come. Chang Mo then ponders to himself whether or not it would be better for her to come or not.

Meanwhile, In Ha and Dong Wook are waiting for Yoon Hee still on the platform. Dong Wook gives up and goes on first, but In Ha lags behind and sees Yoon Hee running to catch the train. With his help, he swings her up into the train and into his arms. Last time you’ll get that chance now, buddy. Their friends quickly appear and are happy to see her, especially Dong Wook.

We then cut to a small walkway over the water and Dong Wook helping Yoon Hee with her bag. In Ha is walking behind them and we see Hye Jung shyly grab a hold of his guitar case. Lagging behind are In Sook and Chang Mo, with the former asking him to give her a piggy back ride. For some reason, he agrees.

Next we see them playing various games, first of which is skipping stones. Even Yoon Hee manages to skip a few, but Chang Mo fails and his rock just sinks. The next game is hide and seek and we see Chang Mo sitting hidden in a field. In Sook and Hye Jung come across him and he quickly asks In Sook to sit with him. Hye Jung then says she’ll leave them alone and walks away. Yoon Hee has decided to hide behind some sheets that are randomly hanging nearby. Dong Wook then stops his count and goes in search of them.

As Yoon Hee hides behind the sheets, she looks to the side and surprise surprise there’s In Ha. He congratulates her on going out with Dong Wook and she thanks him, saying that it’s what everyone seems to have wanted from her. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. She gets a bit of revenge on him as well, saying that even In Ha told her a few times that they should. When he asks why, Yoon Hee gets pissed at him and walks away.

Later on, Dong Wook is tending to a fire with Yoon Hee beside him. He asks her if she’s mad that she told everyone. Yoon Hee says she was a bit shocked, but Dong Wook says that he didn’t think she’d actually come. He says he’ll do his best with her and she can only smile sadly at him.

We then see Chang Mo and Hye Jung walking together. She tells him that she has something to say, but Chang Mo stops her and says that he’s known that she’s liked In Ha for a while. Hye Jung says she’s sorry that she can’t accept his feelings and thanks him for telling her anyway.

After the group has a meal, the boys play one of the songs that they’re going to perform for the competition. When they finish, Hye Sung requests the song that In Ha just composed. He says it’s not finished, but they insist on hearing what he’s done so far. Dong Wook and Chang Mo join the girls sitting on the sand as In Ha prepares to play. Before he starts though, he tells them that he has something to say. Chang Mo thinks he’s going to back out, but that’s not it. Dong Wook thinks that he wrote a song that will get censored again, causing Chang Mo to say that he didn’t make him do it the last time and that they’re dead if they’re caught again. In Ha says that he’ll tell them after the song and that he doesn’t have the lyrics down yet. Chang Mo interrupts again though and says that he saw the lyrics last time already. Caught in his little white lie, In Ha says he’ll sing the first verse.

As In Ha sings, Yoon Hee realizes that the song is about their meeting in the rain when he covered her with the broken umbrella. Their friends, oblivious of this, ask him who he was thinking about when he wrote it. Dong Wook says it must be about his 3-seconds girl, and In Ha says that it is. Yoon Hee is looking on in anticipation, but before In Ha can say it, the episode ends and we have our first cliffhanger. Very well done too, I might add.

Final Thoughts

And here I thought I had this drama figured out. I was fully convinced that they were going to show Yoon Hee ending up with Dong Wook, with In Ha on the side mourning the chance he lost and then we have our time jump to the future so their children can get the chance that In Ha passed on. Then they pull the one thing that I felt would actually justify continuing the past arc: In Ha mans up and decides to fight for Yoon Hee, which will obviously strain their bonds of friendship. This actually isn’t seen in the episode itself, but in the preview for the next episode which I am now very much anticipating.

As for the episode itself, it did what it was supposed to do in developing how much In Ha and Yoon Hee like each other, but In Ha refuses to make a move. I was personally getting as frustrated as Yoon Hee seemed to be watching In Ha turn down every sign she gave him to make a move. Though Yoona is supposed to be a bad actress, I thought she actually did a good job when she was allowed to actually show something other than complete passivity. We’ll see if she can continue this in the future arc.

I’ve never been a fan of the whole playboy who falls in love for the first time angle. I think it’s a role that’s very hard to pull off convincingly, and Kim Si Hoo playing Dong Wook hasn’t changed my opinion in this matter. I also felt that if they were going to use the fact that Yoon Hee reminds him of his dead mother that should’ve been something that was developed more. As it stands right now, to me, it seems like just a flimsy excuse that was thrown in. Dong Wook only mentions her twice and in no way do we see that it’s a central part of his character. Granted, they only had basically less than 2 episodes to do so, but they could’ve done that rather than push the sub love triangle of Chang Mo, Hye Jung, and In Sook as that will probably do next to nothing in the grand scheme of the drama. I understand the need to develop the supporting cast as well to great a better tapestry for the story, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of developing the main story. This is something that Dream High 2 forgot and one of the reasons why I disliked it so much.

On a side note, I think it would’ve been hilarious in outtakes if when Jang Geun Suk says his song is called “Love Rain” for him to start singing Kim Tae Woo’s song of the same name instead.